2014 Weight Lifting!!!!

I know what you're thinking!
its the beginning of a new year and a new season- and you're sitting there wondering about Squats or Leg Press or Zerchers- which ones and what combination and how many reps are going to get you filling out your Wranglers like Brian Ratliff and ready to stomp suckers this spring!!!

ask it here!
any question about technique, programming, rep-schemes whatever..

and if you are already training for the Arnold Classic- we'll take PR's, goals, form check vids, stories of failure, and hidden camera vids of guys at your gym doing Half-Squats with 25's and a foam bar pad..

woohoo!
i have been basement-squatting since october. 'cross doesn't really do it for me, the weather turns foul early, and i've found i really like squatting.

it makes me feel good. like, really good.

can somebody explain this phenomenon?

Not sure, but that's exactly when I started and that's exactly how I feel. Putting aside any effect on cycling for the moment, it's just an incredibly effective, full body exercise. I'm obviously preaching to the choir here, so I'll leave it at that. But I'm more than a little ticked that I went 50+ years without doing them.

till i met a friend who was like "you have a basement? i need a place to keep some weights I borrowed," i had just planned to build a rack out of stuff from the hardware store and buy a bar and plates off of craigslist. you could go that route - cheaper than a gym or a smartcar.

till i met a friend who was like "you have a basement? i need a place to keep some weights I borrowed," i had just planned to build a rack out of stuff from the hardware store and buy a bar and plates off of craigslist. you could go that route - cheaper than a gym or a smartcar.

Les Mills pump workout is something like 500 reps of squats, lunges and deadlifts. I was always reluctant to do any videos with the wife before, but this one works awesome for both of us.... just add more weight.

I've been squatting for a couple of months; currently in a higher-rep, lower weight phase for conditioning (~60% 1RM, 4 x 20, and moving up to ~70%, 4x10 for the next 3 week phase) . Someone has suggested squat jumps for improving explosive power (a weak area of mine).

1) What would the recommended no of reps & sets be, at ~20% 1RM, if the squat jumps are done before the squats themselves?
2) would proper plyometrics (with the appropriate build up), such as depth jumps, be a 'better' addition to the squats, than squat jumps?

I've been squatting for a couple of months; currently in a higher-rep, lower weight phase for conditioning (~60% 1RM, 4 x 20, and moving up to ~70%, 4x10 for the next 3 week phase) . Someone has suggested squat jumps for improving explosive power (a weak area of mine).

1) What would the recommended no of reps & sets be, at ~20% 1RM, if the squat jumps are done before the squats themselves?
2) would proper plyometrics (with the appropriate build up), such as depth jumps, be a 'better' addition to the squats, than squat jumps?

thanks :-)

I don't do jump squats as they're potentially super dangerous for knees if you get it wrong. As an old man, this is a concern for me, may not be for you. As an alternative for gym explosive work, check out Dynamic Efforts in Rippetoe's second book, Practical Programming.

I've been squatting for a couple of months; currently in a higher-rep, lower weight phase for conditioning

I found this post interesting (which echoes what keeps being quietly whispered in my ear repeatedly by one of Steve's disciples):

Originally Posted by Steve Hill (at Starting Strength forums):

Joe Friel's a smart guy about training cyclists, but not about making cyclists stronger and keeping them that. There are three goals here;

1) Develop the requisite amount of strength to support your sport
2) Once you have that level of strength, maintain it
3) Use as little time in the gym as possible doing that, because weightlifting is not the primary sport.

Lowering the weight and increasing the reps violates all three of these rules.

20-rep squats make you better at one thing... 20-rep squats
they don't appear to bring any of what most people are presumably using them to build- Power Endurance..

I've had coaches who had me on volume weight work- as high as 12's- but that's for sure Hypertrophy zone- and its questionable how adaptable that mass will be once you drop reps.. maybe an ok route for totally novice lifters looking to build foundation.. but wouldn't be my choice..

I don't do jump squats as they're potentially super dangerous for knees if you get it wrong. As an old man, this is a concern for me, may not be for you. As an alternative for gym explosive work, check out Dynamic Efforts in Rippetoe's second book, Practical Programming.

Ive never done Jump Squats- so i cant speak to their safety or effectiveness.. but they do have fairly strong support from people for building explosiveness.. certainly need to be executed properly.

Super setting Box-Jumps between regular Squats is another method that might have some promise- the issue is that as you do more box jumps you get better at pulling your feet up higher to get on taller boxes instead of gaining more vertical.. so you are getting up on bigger stuff with the same jump.. as a training exercise, progress is not quantifiable- at least vertical jump progress..

The Power Clean is a vary quantifiable move to develop power and explosiveness- as the weight goes up so does your power..
it is a technical move and requires expert instruction..

Thanks. Will do some more internet research. Fairly new to lifting though, so maybe its a good thing :-).

Any input on the plyos/ squat jumps?

thanks

I wouldn't make things too complicated. Choose, like, three or four very basic multijoint exercises that work the entire body (a push and pull for the upper body, and squats and deadlifts for the lower, for example), and learn them well. I was taught sets of six reps, but opinions vary. I think if you are working on strength, you need to limit each set to five or six reps. Then, if you want volume, increase the number of sets rather than increasing the reps per set.

I've always figured that if I needed endurance, i.e. high reps, low weight, I have the bike for that. One coach around here just has his riders put on a huge gear (his fastest guy was using 110inches I think) and ride around the stayers line for an hour.

Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter